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The Order
The Order 'are the principal antagonists of ''DarkHarvest00. They are secret society that worships the being they call Gorr'Rylaehotep as a god. Members don white masks and dark-colored clothing and engage in cult-like practices at a number of locations. The Order has the ultimate goal of reaching the 4th World, where they believe they will be granted immortality.The Collective Knowledge Overview The Order is made up of many different chapters, which are located in various countries around the world.Log Entry #29 Three of these chapters operate on the east coast of the United States: the New Jersey Chapter, the Southern Chapter, and the New England Chapter.1985 East Coast Assembly Manifest Furthermore, each chapter is divided into a number of enclaves.Log Entry #28 Within the Order, there are a number of positions, each with different roles and responsibilities: * '''Chief Overseer: The Chief Overseer is responsible for leading the organization as a whole, as well as appointing the Overseers who lead each individual chapter of the Order.Greg's Log #3 As of 1985, the Chief Overseer was Lawrence Rainwood, who was part of the New Jersey Chapter. The current Chief Overseer is his son, Jacob Rainwood. * Overseer's: Each chapter of the Order is controlled by an Overseer, who is in charge of welcoming new members into the Order, promoting members to higher positions, writing Holy Books, and leading certain ceremonies. When an Overseer dies, their handpicked apprentice replaces them. * '''Archvassal's: Archvassals are those ranked above Vassals but below the Overseers. Each Vassal is seemingly assigned to a specific Archvassal and reports to that individual. It is possible that Archvassals lead the individual enclaves within the Order's chapters. * 'Vassal's: The most common position within the Order. Vassals' main duties are to follow the wisdom of the Overseers and to stop Harbingers. * 'Harbinger's: Harbingers are those whose "ignorance" turn them against the Order's goals. They are considered enemies of the Order and are not only outsiders, but targets of the Order's more menacing practices. * '''The Oracle: Marc McComber, the sole survivor of the Princeton Experiment, was given the title of the Immortal Oracle and revered as the seer of Truth. Due to his exposure to the phenomenon, McComber's aging process was greatly slowed, if not stopped all together, and he began having visions of both the past and future. Despite his inability to speak his prophecies aloud, he conveyed them to the Order in whatever ways were possible and they served as a foundation of the brotherhood's current belief system. Although his prophecies cannot truly be comprehended by a mortal, he was considered to be the Overseers' best source of information. McComber eventually turned against the organization and later disappeared after being admitted into a mental hospital by his son, a loyal member. History In the 1930s, the members of the Amsel and Rainwood families left the secret society known as the Novus Ordo Europa. Around this time, an ancient Egyptian tablet, which had been discovered by Heinrich Kaufmann II earlier in the century, was stolen from a British museum. After their time in the museum, the tablet and the transcript of its translation into a common language were "rediscovered" by a man who would later be known as the First Overseer and stored in a secret location. This man then set about forming the Order, a brotherhood of fellow believers made up of alchemists, scientists, seers, and psychics, as well as compiling the knowledge contained within the transcript into the first Collective Knowledge. After many years in secrecy, the tablet and transcript were stolen from the Order by the Nazis, although The Order retained the Collective Knowledge and continued to develop and gain power over the following decades in secret. Years later, the Order was pleased to discover that the tablet's knowledge had been used by Hans Freuhauf, a former Nazi scientist who some believed to be a member of a Gorr'Rylaehotep-related cult, to attempt the United States government-funded Princeton Experiment. Freuhauf's efforts had resulted in the creation of a Rift and the appearance of the Gorr'Rylaehotep, who slaughtered everyone present except for Marc McComber, the assistant of a professor working on the experiment. The Order accepted McComber as a member, revering him as the Immortal Oracle. McComber's prophecies, which were a result of his exposure to the phenomenon, became a fundamental part of the Order's belief system. It is believed that The Order's former Chief Overseer, Lawrence Rainwood, was in some way betrayed by members of the organization prior to his son, Jacob, taking over his position. This betrayal was presumably the cause of Lawrence's death. Jacob's followers are willing to go to extreme lengths to prevent information on this betrayal from leaking out, even shooting at the two Harbingers they are forbidden to kill. According to Heather McComber, the Order being featured in videos uploaded to the DarkHarvest00 YouTube channel has resulted in more members joining the organization. Beliefs and Practices Members of the Order worship the Gorr'Rylaehotep, whom they refer to as their Master and god, as they believe it has the power to grant them godhood in the 4th World. They seem to believe that their actions are for the betterment of mankind, although they acknowledge that their practices are frowned upon by most of humanity. Although most members fully embrace the Order's philosophies, some have not completely committed to the idea of entering the 4th World; some members are essentially born into the organization without choice, and a number of members were seen fleeing from the Gorr'Rylaehotep after it transported one of their fellow members away. As The Order has strong ties to the Amsel and Rainwood families, they use locations owned by the Rainwood family, as well as the site of the Princeton Experiment, as meeting places. The Collective Knowledge Members of the Order possess a black book known as the Collective Knowledge, which contains their beliefs. Each member of the Order owns a copy of the Collective Knowledge and keeping it from falling into the hands of outsiders seems to be a high priority for members. One copy of the book, which presumably originally belonged to Marc McComber, temporarily fell out of the Order's grasp when it was discovered by Chris, Alex, and Jesse Laurenzi (who was secretly a member himself) at the supposedly abandoned Rainwood Day Camp & Learning Center. The sixth enclave of the Order's New Jersey Chapter later obtained said copy by breaking into Chris's house and assaulting him. In the process, they also gained possession of classified military documents pertaining to the Princeton Experiment, which Chris had obtained from the chest owned by Marc McComber's granddaughter. The Oracle's Prophecies Many of the Order's beliefs were founded on the prophecies of the Oracle. While little is known of these prophecies, it is known that he once prophecized that two Harbingers {Chris and Alex} would destroy The Order. The Oracle's text states that the Order is not to kill the two Harbingers; rather, Gorr'Rylaehotep is meant to kill them of its own will. This does not, however, prevent the Order from killing the Harbingers' friends and families or keeping them in captivity. Another of the Oracle's prophecies stated that one of the brotherhood's members would betray it. Said traitor turned out to be Jesse Laurenzi, who gave information to Chris and Alex when interrogated and was later executed as a result. Days of Passage The Order keeps track of cycles, which they refer to as the Days of Passage. Each cycle is divided into three movements, which are represented by specific images. The Order believes the cycles lead into the coming of the Fourth Dawn, during which their Master's children will undergo a "great Trek" to the 4th World, a paradise where their Master will grant them immortality and godhood. * It is unclear what the First Cycle entailed. According to Children of the Knight, a blog associated with the Order, the First Dusk had already been reached as of spring 2011. The blog also stated that the coming of the Second Dawn would signal the start of the Second Cycle, during which the second "great prophecy" passed down by the Oracle would be fulfilled. * The second movement of the Second Cycle is referred to as the harvest. Every active chapter of the Order will kidnap and murder people for the purpose of harnessing a form of life energy through such means as harvesting organs and sacrificing people at the Atlantic Test Site. This life energy will later be used to open a Rift to the 4th World. * It is not yet known what the Third Cycle entails or when it will begin. Laws Despite their loyalty toward each other and their cause, should a member of the Order break their laws, they may be executed after receiving a trial, although this is seemingly a rare occurrence. Executions are done in front of an Overseer and carried out by a member wearing a red-colored mask. The phrase "Mortem Obire" (Latin for "going to meet death") is chanted by other members as the process takes place. After being beheaded, the victim's body is buried in a shallow grave. The Order has three main laws detailed in the Collective Knowledge: * Law of Secrecy: Members of the Order must wear a mask and dark clothing so as to hide their identities. The name of the Order must never be spoken and its proceedings must not be told to anyone, so as to avoid being discovered by the outside world once more. Failure to comply with the Law of Secrecy shall be paid for with the Ultimate Price. * Law of Submission: Members of the Order must submit to the organization's goals of transcending and bettering mankind, as well submit to the Overseers, as they are the divine Guides who know the most about their god and his world. The Law of Submission is considered to be the absolute pinnacle of devotion to the brotherhood. * Law of Remembrance: Vassals must revere the origins of the Order, as well as those who made strides toward godhood in their lifetimes. The Collective Knowledge must be studied and kept in secrecy by the Overseers. Overseers are to teach the truth contained within its pages and ensure that the Law of Remembrance is upheld. Chapters New Jersey Chapter The New Jersey Chapter is known to be divided into at least six enclaves. The 5th Enclave was referred to as "newly-installed" in March of 2013, despite the 6th Enclave seemingly existing for some time prior to this. Both known Chief Overseers of the Order were part of the New Jersey Chapter. Current Members: * Chief Overseer: Jacob Rainwood * Overseer: New Jersey Chapter Overseer * Unknown: Detective Amsel * Unknown: Heather McComber's father * Unknown: Red-Masked Executioner Former Members: * Chief Overseer: Lawrence Rainwood (deceased) * Oracle: Marc McComber (defected) * Vassal, 4th Enclave: Greg Benson (deceased) * Vassal, 4th Enclave: Jesse Laurenzi (deceased) * Vassal: Heather McComber (defected) * Vassal: Matt Sharky (deceased) * Unknown: Suited Cultist (presumed deceased) Heretical 6th Enclave The Overseer of the New Jersey Chapter has referred to the 6th Enclave as heretical. Whereas other branches of the Order refuse to kill Chris and Alex in accordance with the Oracle's prophecies, the 6th Enclave has attempted to kill the two Harbingers on three separate occasions. Jesse Laurenzi was executed after being seen in the company of the heretical 6th Enclave, in addition to breaking several of the Order's laws. According to Daniel Shipman, the other members of the Order do not know who is in the 6th Enclave; as such, they have hired him to investigate. Southern Chapter Little is known of the Order's Southern Chapter. Former Members: * Unknown: Henka Visæ (presumed deceased) * Vassal: Mary Asher (defected, deceased) New England Chapter Little is known of the Order's New England Chapter. Daniel Shipman has noticed their presence around the town he lives in, with their symbol found in such places as a café, a library, a police station, and a courtroom. They are also seemingly responsible for sending Daniel a warning in the mail, threatening him with death should he continue to investigate their organization. Former Members: * Unknown: The Assassin (deceased) References Category:Requisites Category:Antagonists Category:The Order